Just another Blogs@VT Sites site

Main menu

Post navigation

Natural Selection & Variability

Darwin in this reading has really expressed his ideas thoroughly and clearly. It’s impressive to see someone not beat around the bush whatsoever, and stick right to the point. Before reading this, I had no idea what this idea of variability was, or that humans had a major impact on it. I highly value scientists opinions and ideas, so this was an enjoyable read for me.

I sometimes try to put myself in Darwin’s shoes, just to try and understand how society was… “accepting” his ideas on evolution. In the 1800’s, the religious creation idea was widely, commonly accepted. But regardless everyone can agree that human impacts on animals has caused variability. Without humans moving crops, animals, etc. from one location to another, and those animals or crops adapting to their new location, the variety of species of such would be a lot less as it is now. Natural selection some may call it, but is human involvement with nature really that “natural”?

I just don’t see how we can consider humans directly genetically modifying crops and animals as natural. Sure if you consider humans to be just another species in the Animal Kingdom, which we are. But we are so much more developed, both physically AND mentally. If you think about it, we can outsmart any other species, whether its distraction, kill tactics, defense, etc. So the “natural selection” of this genetically, mentally dominant species is considered legitimate to how nature is? I’m not so sure about that, although I do not disagree with Darwin that our selection has shaped nature, I just don’t like the term natural in front of selection.

It goes without saying that this selection process is exclusively involved with domesticated animals, in specific ones that provide use to humans. Whether for meat, furs, travel, etc. we will as humans weed out the small weak ones in exchange for the strong, meaty, colorful, exotic ones, or basically whatever the demand is at that time. We have been able to specifically modify domesticated animals into basically anything we want. Again, the term natural selection shows up in this scenario, but what is so natural of this genetic modification?

111 thoughts on “Natural Selection & Variability”

I think that the word natural is another one of those words that we ought to sit down and think about in this class. If by natural (And this is the definition I prefer) you mean anything that can physically happen in this world (As in the opposite of supernatural, which is somewhat of an oxymoron because that word is often applied to science that we can’t explain and is therefore also natural, if unknown, but I digress) then it ends up being a pretty broad category that can fit everything from farming to genome science. But if you think of natural as something that only happens in the base environment, as in take away the trappings of civilization and technology and plop people in the middle of the woods somewhere, I think that such things as farming and other rudimentary involvement are still, in fact, natural because that is our base behavior, to change things. It is our very natural adaptation. I think, however, that it can be awkward to visualize that behavior as normal because we are really the only species that has this degree of control over our environment. In our human-centric view of the universe, we have very little to compare ourselves to absent an alien civilization. But if, say, there were a species of ape that exhibited agrarian tendencies, would you still think farming is an unnatural involvement?

I think the idea of natural vs. unnatural (or some other category opposite of natural such as artificial) is an interesting, but ultimately arbitrary debate. I don’t think there is a definitive distinction and any that humans create is just an arbitrary construction used to satisfy our need to be different from animals. I think human influence is a part of natural selection because humans and everything they create is a part of the environment. I just can’t see why it wouldn’t be other than because humans are somehow different or above nature. This is just my opinion though.

I agree that a discussion of the social construction of “natural” would be good! Just thinking about the binaries — besides “natural-supernatural” there’s “natural-artificial,” as well as “natural-cultural.” IIn “Keywords,” Raymond Williams says that “Nature is perhaps the most complex word in the language.” (p. 219) I will bring the book to class.

Very Good blog and also was professionally wrote and an great
read. I have to say that the majority of which you were putting accross was on the
money. If possible, would it be too cheeky to promote our own site to
your list of avid listeners? We’re a student lettings firm based in Liverpool and will offer all of your readers a great deal if they come through your site to our ours. We will send you guys a commission. If this is cool please leave the post comment but should you need to contact us please do so at info@lsl.co.uk.

Hi! Do you know if they make any plugins to assist with Search Engine Optimization? I’m trying to get my blog to rank for some targeted keywords but I’m not seeing very good results. If you know of any please share. Kudos!

Wonderful blog! Do you have any tips and hints for aspiring writers? I’m hoping to start my own website soon but I’m a little lost on everything. Would you advise starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a paid option? There are so many choices out there that I’m totally overwhelmed .. Any recommendations? Bless you!

Do you have a spam problem on this blog; I also am a blogger, and I was wanting to know your situation; we have developed some nice methods and we are looking to exchange methods with others, be sure to shoot me an e-mail if interested.

Have you ever thought about writing an e-book or guest authoring on other sites? I have a blog based on the same subjects you discuss and would love to have you share some stories/information. I know my subscribers would appreciate your work. If you are even remotely interested, feel free to shoot me an e mail.

Do you mind if I quote a couple of your articles as long as I provide credit and sources back to your website? My blog site is in the very same niche as yours and my visitors would really benefit from some of the information you present here. Please let me know if this ok with you. Regards!

Have you ever thought about publishing an ebook or guest authoring on other blogs? I have a blog based upon on the same topics you discuss and would love to have you share some stories/information. I know my visitors would value your work. If you are even remotely interested, feel free to shoot me an email.

Have you ever thought about creating an e-book or guest authoring on other sites? I have a blog based upon on the same subjects you discuss and would really like to have you share some stories/information. I know my subscribers would value your work. If you’re even remotely interested, feel free to send me an e-mail.

Do you mind if I quote a few of your articles as long as I provide credit and sources back to your website? My website is in the exact same area of interest as yours and my visitors would definitely benefit from a lot of the information you provide here. Please let me know if this ok with you. Regards!

Do you mind if I quote a few of your posts as long as I provide credit and sources back to your website? My website is in the exact same area of interest as yours and my users would really benefit from a lot of the information you provide here. Please let me know if this ok with you. Many thanks!

Hmm it appears like your website ate my first comment (it was extremely long) so I guess I’ll just sum it up what I submitted and say, I’m thoroughly enjoying your blog. I as well am an aspiring blog blogger but I’m still new to the whole thing. Do you have any suggestions for inexperienced blog writers? I’d really appreciate it.

Do you have a spam issue on this blog; I also am a blogger, and I was wondering your situation; many of us have created some nice methods and we are looking to exchange methods with other folks, please shoot me an email if interested.

Hi there! This is kind of off topic but I need some guidance from an established blog. Is it difficult to set up your own blog? I’m not very techincal but I can figure things out pretty quick. I’m thinking about setting up my own but I’m not sure where to begin. Do you have any ideas or suggestions? Many thanks

With havin so much written content do you ever run into any problems of plagorism or copyright infringement? My blog has a lot of unique content I’ve either written myself or outsourced but it seems a lot of it is popping it up all over the web without my authorization. Do you know any techniques to help reduce content from being ripped off? I’d truly appreciate it.

Hi there! This is kind of off topic but I need some guidance from an established blog. Is it very difficult to set up your own blog? I’m not very techincal but I can figure things out pretty quick. I’m thinking about creating my own but I’m not sure where to start. Do you have any ideas or suggestions? Thank you

Do you have a spam issue on this blog; I also am a blogger, and I was curious about your situation; many of us have created some nice practices and we are looking to trade strategies with others, be sure to shoot me an email if interested.

Superb blog! Do you have any recommendations for aspiring writers? I’m hoping to start my own site soon but I’m a little lost on everything. Would you advise starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a paid option? There are so many choices out there that I’m completely overwhelmed .. Any tips? Appreciate it!

Do you have a spam issue on this website; I also am a blogger, and I was wanting to know your situation; many of us have developed some nice practices and we are looking to swap strategies with other folks, why not shoot me an e-mail if interested.

Hmm it appears like your blog ate my first comment (it was extremely long) so I guess I’ll just sum it up what I submitted and say, I’m thoroughly enjoying your blog. I as well am an aspiring blog blogger but I’m still new to everything. Do you have any tips for inexperienced blog writers? I’d definitely appreciate it.

Hi! Do you know if they make any plugins to help with Search Engine Optimization? I’m trying to get my blog to rank for some targeted keywords but I’m not seeing very good gains. If you know of any please share. Cheers!

My partner and I absolutely love your blog and find many of your post’s to be exactly I’m looking for. can you offer guest writers to write content for yourself? I wouldn’t mind publishing a post or elaborating on many of the subjects you write about here. Again, awesome web site!

Have you ever considered writing an ebook or guest authoring on other websites? I have a blog based upon on the same subjects you discuss and would love to have you share some stories/information. I know my audience would enjoy your work. If you are even remotely interested, feel free to shoot me an email.

Hmm it seems like your website ate my first comment (it was extremely long) so I guess I’ll just sum it up what I submitted and say, I’m thoroughly enjoying your blog. I as well am an aspiring blog writer but I’m still new to the whole thing. Do you have any helpful hints for newbie blog writers? I’d definitely appreciate it.

Superb blog! Do you have any tips and hints for aspiring writers? I’m planning to start my own site soon but I’m a little lost on everything. Would you recommend starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a paid option? There are so many options out there that I’m completely overwhelmed .. Any suggestions? Kudos!

I really like your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you create this website yourself or did you hire someone to do it for you?
Plz answer back as I’m looking to design my own blog
and would like to find out where u got this from. kudos

My coder is trying to convince me to move to .net from PHP. I have always disliked the idea because of the costs. But he’s tryiong none the less. I’ve been using Movable-type on a number of websites for about a year and am anxious about switching to another platform. I have heard great things about blogengine.net. Is there a way I can import all my wordpress content into it? Any help would be really appreciated!

I really like your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you design this website yourself or did you hire someone to do it for you? Plz respond as I’m looking to design my own blog and would like to find out where u got this from. kudos

I know this if off topic but I’m looking into starting my own weblog and was curious what all is needed to get setup? I’m assuming having a blog like yours would cost a pretty penny? I’m not very internet smart so I’m not 100% positive. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks

Do you have a spam problem on this blog; I also am a blogger, and I was wanting to know your situation; many of us have developed some nice procedures and we are looking to exchange strategies with others, please shoot me an e-mail if interested.

With havin so much content do you ever run into any issues of plagorism or copyright infringement? My blog has a lot of completely unique content I’ve either written myself or outsourced but it seems a lot of it is popping it up all over the web without my agreement. Do you know any ways to help reduce content from being ripped off? I’d genuinely appreciate it.

Amazing blog! Do you have any hints for aspiring writers? I’m hoping to start my own website soon but I’m a little lost on everything. Would you suggest starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a paid option? There are so many options out there that I’m completely confused .. Any recommendations? Thank you!

With havin so much written content do you ever run into any problems of plagorism or copyright infringement? My site has a lot of exclusive content I’ve either written myself or outsourced but it appears a lot of it is popping it up all over the internet without my agreement. Do you know any ways to help stop content from being stolen? I’d really appreciate it.

Hmm it looks like your website ate my first comment (it was extremely long) so I guess I’ll just sum it up what I had written and say, I’m thoroughly enjoying your blog. I as well am an aspiring blog writer but I’m still new to everything. Do you have any tips and hints for beginner blog writers? I’d really appreciate it.

Hi are using WordPress for your site platform? I’m new to the blog world but I’m trying to get started and set up my own. Do you need any html coding expertise to make your own blog? Any help would be really appreciated!

Hi are using WordPress for your blog platform? I’m new to the blog world but I’m trying to get started and create my own. Do you need any html coding knowledge to make your own blog? Any help would be really appreciated!

When it comes to figuring out all the ins and outs of a movie recreation|particularly the ones on your telephone|you could commit thousands of
hours on end making an attempt to beat it this is why Candy Crush
Saga Dwell Instrument three.8.5 was created! For you players to take edge
of all the specific characteristic this instrument delivers.
Not only you will benefits from all these features but you will also assist yourself conquer every and every single stage the disappointed you for a although.
No much more waiting several hours to get life or have a constrained quantity of boosters.

Now every thing you desire has been incorporated in this device and suitable
with Facebook|Apple Devices (Ipod|Ipad|Iphones) and Android phones also.

I can also detect malware or malfunctions in
network software. There are some establishments that can use their Wi-Fi access point to get
private information’s about you. The paid version is under 30 bucks without ads and is even faster.

, claims that their flagship product TA-65 is a proven telomerase activator that was originally discovered and patented by California
biotech company Geron. The program offers a broad range
of solutions for your weight problems. Remember,
people sign up with you before they join a business.

Today, I went to the beach with my children. I found a sea shell and gave it to
my 4 year old daughter and said “You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear.” She placed the shell to her ear and screamed.
There was a hermit crab inside and it pinched
her ear. She never wants to go back! LoL I know this is entirely off topic but I had
to tell someone!

s teeth, hair, and skin, and no tools are required for assembly.
s behavioral problem. We have had other pets since Maggie and faced the
same end-of-life decision yerars later with our two springer spaniels.

There are no monthly costs implicated with the total
internet marketing training course. They have added many new resources to there plan that make GOGVO the ultimate resource
for today’s net marketer. Jeff’s techniques are tutored in his PLF –
Product Launch Formula series and I am planning to analyze and see what it’s all about.

You will only get charged on how full your plate weights.
For whatever reason, when the American viewers
see their team get knocked out of the tournament, a large number of them simply move on.
name and the abbreviation, then it will give you some
players whose ability is at 60.

For more than 30 years Herbalife has been in existence and
all but 15% from the company’s $3. Clinical studies show that daily use of meal replacement shakes is proven effective for
managing weight, along with moderate exercise. And this has been the principle from the
very beginning.

We’re a group of volunteers and opening a new
scheme in our community. Your web site provided us with
valuable information to work on. You’ve done an impressive job and our whole community will be grateful to
you.